Worth of a Life
by Nyodrite
Summary: Hatake Kama's smile grew, pulling his eyes into it, at his father-come-brother's protectiveness, "Maa, it's fine Niisan. There was a call that needed to be made- I made the one I could live with, I don't care if they can't."
1. Chapter 1

"-atake bastard."

"Filth."

"- traitor."

"Scum."

"_-ailed_ the mission!"

"_Disgrace_!"

Hatake Sakumo's hands clenched into fists as the villagers continued to sneer and spit out insults, a hand clapped his shoulder and made him look at his companion whom was the target of the hateful words.

Hatake Kama, Sakumo's younger brother whom his son Kakashi seemed to have inherited his mask-obsession from, smiled at him, "They can say all they wish but I don't regret saving my teammates."

"_Still-_" Sakumo gritted out with barely restrained anger.

Kama's smile grew, pulling his eyes into it, at his father-come-brother's protectiveness, "Maa, it's fine Niisan. There was a call that needed to be made- I made the one _I_ could live with, I don't care if _they_ can't."

"Fine." He smothered a laugh, the first time around- when Kama had been _Kakashi_ and Sakumo's _son_ rather then his _brother_- he had never knew the man could sound almost like a petulant child whom had been bribed into eating their vegetables.

It was _endearing_.

"You know," Kama eyed his brother, "You can always make me feel better by buying me a meal..."

Sakumo snorted, "What would buying you a meal do- you mooch off of me _anyways_."

"I do _not_." He denied vehemently then added, "Even if I _did_, you suck at cooking and cleaning thus I would be the only reason that Kashi-chan isn't starving while living in a pigsty."

The older man shot him an offended look, "I am not that bad."

"Mm. So I've heard." Kama purred, snickering when his companion gapped, turning red- with a friend like _Jiraiya_, he never would have guessed the White Fang to have been something of a _prude_.

Their audience wasn't impressed, making their displeasure and disgust known as the whispers and jeers picked up once again.

"-dare he talk to Hatake-sama like that!"

"Disgusting fuck, he's probably a _quee_-"

"-isgrace! Doesn't deserve the name Hatake!"

"Probably got his rank by getting on his knee-"

"-ave been drowned at _birth_."

"Who knows what he'll do to Kakashi-kun, he's probably a pedo-"

Kama twitched at the last one because, pervert he may be, he had never even _thought_ of laying with someone whom wasn't within three years of his age- and the insinuation that he would do so with his past self, his current self's _nephew_, was mildly horrifying and greatly disturbing- but he said nothing.

It really wouldn't do to give them the satisfaction of knowing they got to him.

Sakumo, it seemed, had no such qualms and whirled around with a snarl, "_**What** did you say?_"

"Leave it Niisan." Kama stated flatly, "I care not for the opinions of people whom would rather the ones whom fight to protect them die then fail a mission so they could come home safely." He clapped his brother's- tense- shoulder, "Besides, Kashi-chan should be waiting on us already."

The man gave a tight nod, glaring at the frozen civilians up until the moment that they used _Shunshin _to get to their destination without having to deal with the crowds any more.

* * *

><p>"They're saying that you are a disgrace for failing your mission and should kill yourself to return the honor your mistake has claimed back to the Hatake family name." Kakashi informed his uncle calmly, tilting his head in a move not unlike a curious puppy. "Are you?"<p>

Kama patted the kid's head, internally thankful that the _other_ rumors hadn't reached his ears yet, "I suppose by _their_ standards but, then, what do they know about being a shinobi?"

"The rules say that the _mission_ is the most important thing though." The chūnin pointed out, frown visible through the mask.

The jōnin nodded, "Ah. But, at the end of the day, _you_ have to live with the choices you make and I could live with the failure of the mission, I couldn't with the death of my team- not when _I _could save them."

"_Why_?" The seven year old asked, utterly confused.

The eighteen year old sighed, "Look at it this way, if Niisan- you Tōsan- were to die on a mission would you be sad?"

"Yes...but-" The child started, frown more prominent.

Kama continued, "And how would you feel if you learned that he would have lived- have come back home- if his teammates hadn't left him to die?"

"...I wouldn't like it..." the boy mumbled.

"Why?" He asked, then pointed out ruthlessly, "It was for the _good of the mission_ that they left him for dead."

Kakashi fidgeted, brow furrowed, "Yes...but I _want_ Tōsan to come back."

"_Exactly_." The teen concluded, "You would rather he come back alive, even at the cost of the mission, then him to die because you _love_ him and he is _precious_ to you. Now, what about the teammates _I _saved? Do you think their families and friends are happy that they are alive?"

It took a moment, the chūnin obviously at odds with what he had been taught (in hindsight, Kama supposed one of his obsessions with the rues had come from being a child soldier whom had yet to develop his own moral code and thus followed the one given to him- like regular children followed the ones their parents taught them) and what he felt, but eventually the nod came.

"Ah." Kama said. "I would never have been able to look at their families and friends again if I _hadn't_ saved them. Now then, are you going to help me with dinner or _mill about uselessly like you Tōsan does when he's in the kitchen!?_"

Kakashi ducked his head, a grin tugging at the fabric of his mask when Sakumo, whom was in the living room checking over his equipment and what needed to be replaced after his last mission, called out an offended, "_Oi! Stop poisoning my son against me!_"

* * *

><p>Kama found, nearly a year after he failed the mission that had been Sakumo's once, that he could truly understand the reason why his then father could choose suicide because he was there at the moment.<p>

He was denied the ability to take on missions, the restriction straight from the council (uncontested by those at the assignment desk) out of 'concern' he would throw away his mission once more, and thus he was denied a means in which to earn a living- consequently, he truly _did_ mooch off his brother (part of him wondered at how Sakumo had dealt with it the first go around, did he resort to stealing? Growing his own food? Relying on whatever groceries _he_ had brought home?).

Although he would never consider himself as a _social_ person, the effect of the near complete exclusion of him from the world was disconcerting and _painful_ on an emotional level- and in such a way that he had previously experienced after Minato-sensei died and he ran on a string of suicide missions for years until Tenzo, the awkward little kohai, managed to become his _friend_ and he suddenly _couldn't_ just let himself die because the teen had no one else but _him_. Had Sakumo hadn't been steadfastly supportive of his decision, which Kakashi following his example, there might have been a chance, despite his promise _not_ to, that Kama would have killed himself.

[Which, in hindsight when he recognized that _he_ definitely hadn't supported his father thus leaving him entirely isolated, made his father's suicide make all the more sense.]

He wouldn't kill himself, even if he _did_ believe that he did the wrong thing (which he most fervently _did not_), because he had buried far too many of his precious people before and, if by living he could prevent even _one_ person just a little bit of that pain, then he would do everything he could to live as long as possible. He learned that lesson when he accepted a suicide mission that lead his team, _his_ in a way only his ANBU squad had been, to launch a rescue mission to stop him and realized how much his actions would have _hurt_ them.

So, as long as people cared, Hatake Kama would not commit suicide.

* * *

><p><span><strong>AN:** This is a one-shot right now, though it might become more eventually, since this spot seemed like a good break off point.

**Hatake Kama:**  
>Hatake Sakumo's younger brother by nine years, he's the teammate of Uzumaki Kushina and Uchiha Mikoto, best friend of Namikaze Minato, rival of Uchiha Fugaku, has a friendly intellectual rivalry with Nara Shikaku, is the uncle of Hatake Kakashi and hero of Uchiha Obito.<br>Kama was once Hatake Kakashi until he died and was reborn as his father's brother, he took the "Mission" that Sakumo had failed and lead to his suicide.


	2. Continuation!

**A/N:**

**This one-shot has been continued, but has been re-posted as it's _own_ story rather then here. The story is called _"_**_What is the Worth of a Life?_**_"_, a little "peek" has been provided to see if it catches your interest.**

* * *

><p>"Yes but <em>try<em> not to get into trouble?" Sakumo nearly pleaded.

Kama blinked at the teen, deliberately making his eyes seem wide and innocent, "Maa...would I get into trouble?"

"Just-" Really, it was _fun_ exasperating people. "Just _go_, Otouto."

He nodded, hugging the chūnin because the teen really does try and he truly appreciates that even if he won't say it aloud before darting towards where the newest class was being herded inside- deliberately setting his pace so that he fell in step besides his once sensei as he entered the building, offering the blond a smile through his mask. "Hi."

"'llo..." Chibi-Sensei mumbled in reply.

A lesser man (child? Man-child? Whatever the heck he was technically.) would have cooed over that but not him, he didn't do such things unless to annoy someone- thus Kama merely morphed his smile into a grin, "I'm Hatake Kama."

"Nam'kaze M'nato." Part of him wondered if it was normal for children to mispronounce things- he wasn't really a good example of normal children, regardless of the timeline- or if the blond was just shy enough that he couldn't properly enunciate.

Kama didn't mention that aloud, merely nodding before promising, "From here on, Namikaze Minato, you and I will be the best of friends."


End file.
